Chiku Nekura
|status = Alive |relatives = Unknown |magic = Cactus Magic |weapons = Spiked Staff}} Chiku Nekura is a mage and member of Purple Phoenix who dwells in the outside of Magnolia. After leaving his former guild for unknown reasons, he has become a hermit and now lives by himself, mainly fishing and doing practically nothing. Appearance Garbed in mostly green, Chiku is pretty hard to spot in his usual haunt, East Forest. He commonly wears a large straw hat that shadows his face and obscures his yellow-green eyes. Under the hat is messy grass green hair that compliments the rest of his clothing. Wrapped around his torso and arms is faded green bandages which are visible via his viridian kimono which is only worn over the right side of his body. On both arms are jade coloured gauntlets and black fabric worn over the middle finger. When reclining at home, he will wear a whte t-shirt with the words 'grass' on them, and a pair of blue pyjama pants. These are also the clothes he sleeps in. Personality Preferring his own company, Chiku is quite abrasive, refusing to talk to anyone. Those that alledgedly know him theorise that this is due to his teacher's death, as he died very recently. This is only part of it, the other reason being that Chiku is convinced that no one wants to be acquianted with a Cactus Magic user. As such, he refuses to speak to anyone as he never gives anyone a chance. Since no one is considered his friend, no one knows about his innocent love of plants and how he truly is a kind soul at heart, but guards it behind a wall of spikes. An oddity of his persona is his mental breakdowns. Due to the unknown circumstances regarding is expulsion from his former guild, allusions to it trigger unpleasant memories resulting in him instinctively using his Cactus Magic, which causes spikes to grow over his entire body. When this happens, he usually screams out, "I didn't mean it!". This infers that he accidently hurt or killed someone with his magic. Magic and abilities Cactus Magic Being a very uncommon magic, Chiku is one of the few known mages that makes use of this often frowned upon magic, as its self-inflicted pain when using the magic turns a lot of people away. Having been taught by a former master of the magic, Chiku himself is well versed in its use. *'Spike Expulsion:' Multiple spikes protrude from Chiku and are then shot outwards. *'Prickly Surprise: '''Chiku's body becomes covered in spikes which can be used to inflict pain on others via melee attacks or can injure those attackig Chiku's body. *'Cactus Fist: 'Chiku's fist becomes covered completely in spikes, making his hand look quite odd. It's main use is for melee attacks. **'Needle Missiles: 'After using Cactus Fist, Chiku can then shoot spikes from his hand. *'Climbing Cacti: 'The palms of his hands and soles of his feet protrude spikes which allows him to cling to surfaces easily and climb up objects. *'Spiny Arm Blades: 'Multiple spikes extend from the sides of his arms that line up to create a blade-like collection of spikes. *'Prong Gatling Gun: 'Chiku takes a huge breath and spits out spikes rapidly like a machine gun. Equipment *'Spiked Staff: '''A long iron staff with a spiky mace head on top. Due to his constant training with the item, he has gained an attachment to it and has somewhat mastered its use. It seems to be used very rarely as most of his magic does not incorporate its use. When not being used, the staff's head is wrapped in cloth to prevent anyone from being hurt by it. History Mysteriously orphaned at a young age, Chiku was taken in by a kind old man who decided that he would raise him. For much of Chiku's life, he believed that the man was his father only to later discover that he was adopted. During his childhood, he would often accompany the man on walks and admired his use of Cactus Magic. While he wanted to use it desperately, he was refused this desire due to the pain associated with the magic. Eventually, the man gave in, and soon Chiku began to learn. Reaching the age of thirteen, he finally struck out and joined a guild, only to be expelled a few months later due to unknown reasons as Chiku refuses to reveal any details about his former guild. From what he will say, he explains that they were all 'good people and deserved better'. It is clear that he refuses to speak ill of them, so it can be inferred that he left on mutual terms. After his removal from the guild, word spread of his use of Cactus Magic, which attracted the dark guild that had attempted to persuade Chiku's teacher to join. Being decieved by them, he was almost coerced into learning Darkness Magic and was close to joining, until his teacher told him who they were, which made Chiku decline their offer. A few days after his 21st birthday, Chiku's teacher was struck by lightning and killed in a fierce storm as the old man wished to help any lost travellers in the woods. Finding the body a day later, Chiku erected a grave to his former master and began living in his house, never leaving the forest again. Trivia *Chiku's name comes from the word 'chikuchiku' (チクチク) which is the Japanese onomatopoeia from a type of prickling pain, which matches the magic he uses. * His last name Nekura (根暗) is the Japanese word for dark-natured, introverted, dour, moody, insular, glum, gloomy and pessimistic. This coincides with his rather introverted persona, as he is a literal hermit.